


First Year Down

by BuggreAlleThis



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Antediluvian Period, Gen, Rosh HaShana | Jewish New Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 14:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20818550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuggreAlleThis/pseuds/BuggreAlleThis
Summary: Rosh Hashanah giftfic: Crawly shares a discovery with Aziraphale.





	First Year Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [purplefringe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplefringe/gifts).

> L'Shana Tovah to the supremely talented and supremely kind purplefringe!

The rain was drifting across the mouth of the cave. It wasn’t a heavy rain, just a cool shower. But something about it made Aziraphale think of the first rainstorm; they hadn’t known then that the downpours would become more and more common, and then vanish for several moons at once.

The babies had been born on a cool, clear day, when the rains were becoming less frequent, moons ago. Aziraphale thought that one of them really ought to be keeping track – well, _he_ ought to be keeping track, the humans didn’t have anywhere near as much time as he did, what with the eating and sleeping and the rest of it.

“I hope he’s all right,” Eve said, looking out into the rain. She was feeding Cain, the _boy_.

Aziraphale was lying on his front in front of Awan, the _girl_. He held up his hand, and she reached out to pat it; he gasped in pleasure every time she did, and she laughed. Neither of them had grown tired of the game yet.

“Hm? Oh, I’m sure he’ll be just fine,” Aziraphale said. “He’ll have that sheep and be back before it’s dark. I have a good feeling. See? And the rain’s stopping.”

“I hate it,” Eve said. “No, Cain.” She repositioned the boy. “It always makes me think of that day. You know.”

“I do. Speaking of which –“ Aziraphale sat up, and put another log across the flaming sword.

“Awan, no, stay,” Eve said to her crawling daughter, and suddenly shouted. “Awan!”

Aziraphale pulled the baby girl away from the mouth of the cave; she immediately started to wail. The black snake, skin sparkling from the rain, curled back on itself.

Eve had set Cain on the ground and was already reaching for the sword.

“No, no, I’ll get rid of him,” Aziraphale said, and gathered the snake up in an undignified pile. “Come on.”

“I’ll kill him if he comes back here!” Eve said, gathering up the screaming children. “I’ll kill him if he talks to my babies!”

“He won’t, he’s just cold,” said Aziraphale. The snake was beginning to wind around him, and Aziraphale hurried out while Eve was busy trying to corral the children. “That is _you_, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s me,” said Crawly. “Who else would it be?”

“Another snake. I’ve seen one around here somewhere, but he’s brown.”

Aziraphale felt the demon writhe in fury against his shoulder. “Another one? There’s another snake? Another demon’s come up as a snake?!”

“No, I think it’s a physical snake. Earth snake. I did try talking to him for a while but he didn’t reply.”

“Well, _yeah_, if it was an actual snake. They’re not all charming conversationalists like me.”

“Hm,” said Aziraphale, as he hurried down the hillside. “I just haven’t seen you since-“

“Since you bashed my head in with a rock, yes.”

“It was an act of mercy. There was no healing you. I _told_ you the river-horses weren’t friendly.”

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in. Where are we going?”

“As far away from her as possible. She’s still furious. You really mustn’t bother her, no matter how cold it is.”

“Well, thanks to _someone_ I missed the last hot days, now it’s just going to be _this_ and _worse_ for ages.”

“The someone whose fault it was is digging his nose into my- oh, fine,” said Aziraphale, and lifted his arm so that the snake could wind around his torso, under his robe. He stopped. “Wait. You're not going to kill me, are you?”

“What, repay the favour?” Crawly said sarcastically. “… no. Besides, don’t need to squeeze you. Could have just bitten you. I’m _venomous_.” This last very proudly.

“You certainly are. Did you just want to warm up? You-“ Aziraphale very quickly swallowed the _poor thing_ that had been on the tip of his tongue. “You really should be more careful with Eve.”

“Whatever. Just takes a while to get used to it being cold again. After all the hellfire.”

“I imagine,” Aziraphale said uncomfortably.

“Besides, it wasn’t just to warm up. Wanted to show you something.”

Aziraphale stopped, and began to pull Crawly out from under his robe. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think this is far enough, you really ought to go.”

“No, no, it’s good. Honestly. You’ll like it.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Aziraphale couldn’t believe himself; it was one thing to shelter someone from the rain, but quite another to let a demon wind his way around your corporation to steal your warmth.

“I’ve found bees!” Crawly said as Aziraphale let him plop down onto the floor. He began to rear upwards, his face black and twisting as he took a human form. “You remember the bees? In the Garden?”

Aziraphale stopped. He _did_ remember bees. And he remembered the delicious golden honey that they’d made. “… you’ve found them again?”

“Yep. And. You’ll like this.” Crawly, now a pale human again, grinned at him. “I’ve found a fruit tree.”

“No.”

“Absolutely laden. I’ve scared some of the deer away from it.”

“No!”

“Oh, come on. Come _on_.”

“No.” Aziraphale raised a finger and looked very stern. “… if I am interested in where the bees are. _If_. You have to promise you’re not going to try to kill me.”

Crawly looked _insulted_. “I could have discorporated you a thousand times between there and here.”

“You are a _demon_, I do have to ask,” Aziraphale said. “Is it that the bees can sting you? I’ve learnt how to make sure they don’t. Do you need help getting the comb?”

“I was actually going to say you could take it back to your boring human friends and their boring drooling spawn,” Crawly said, still visibly offended. “_And_ the apples. They’re not, you know. They’re just normal, sweet apples. They’re going to fall off in the next couple of days and then they’ll rot and it’ll make them sick. Frankly, good riddance, I hope they all get sick and _die_.”

“Oh, Crawly, don’t say that,” Aziraphale said, and spread his hands. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t think you want to kill me. … I did _try_ to heal you, you know.”

“Yeah, right,” Crawly said, but he did finally look at Aziraphale again. “They’re just normal apples.”

“I know.”

“They’ll take them if _you_ bring them back. Obviously me going around offering people apples is a bad idea. No one’s going to take an apple from me.”

“Well,” Aziraphale said, and smiled. “I can think of one person who might be foolish enough to. If there really is honey as well. I haven’t had honey in… moons and moons. I was beginning to wonder if it was only in the Garden.”

“No,” Crawly said. “Bastard bees hurt, but they’re around.” He shifted. “Moons and moons?”

“Yes – when the moon becomes round and then goes dark again. I was thinking that we ought to start keeping track of this sort of thing, for when the babies are older. I mean, the humans really ought to do it, but Eve talks about moons now too. I always point it out to her.” Aziraphale looked proud of himself.

“I suppose on here that’s the only way to...” Crawly looked up at the sky. “You’ve not been back?”

“Ah. No. Not since that time you saw me… In any case. I tried counting days, but I lost track, so moons it is.”

“I mean, from the _outside_,” Crawly said. “I’m probably not meant to tell you this. Though Heaven’ll know it. Don’t tell _them_ though, if you’ve not been back to Heaven.”

“Tell them what?”

“Obviously they don’t know that the Earth’s going around the Sun yet,” Crawly said. “But. It’s in the same spot as it was when they were created. Accounting for the movement of the galaxies and all the rest.”

“Oh!” Aziraphale said. “It’s gone all the way around?”

Crawly finally smiled at him again and nodded. “First big circle!”

“Oh, that _is_ exciting,” Aziraphale said. “I’m sure the plan is for it to do another lap, I don’t think we’re going to go hurtling off anywhere. I didn’t get a memo that we were.” He softened as he looked at the demon. “It’ll be like a little bit of the Garden again for them. In the same spot in space. That’s… that’s so sweet, Crawly.”

Crawly bared his fangs. “Oi! I _will_ kill you!”

“You promised you wouldn’t!” Aziraphale said. He still felt ever so sunny, at the thought that Adam and Eve could remember the Garden with something sweet, in almost the same place. They’d survived a long journey through the universe around the sun, and now there were two new humans as well. That was sweet too; Cain’s affection, Awan’s joy. The overwhelming love that Aziraphale felt from Adam and Eve when they looked at their children, and at each other.

And he might be able to eat some honey.


End file.
